Device for spooling reda and like cable



u 10, 1943. B. L. OPSAL 2,326,556

' DEVICE FOR SPOOLING BEDA AND LIKE CABLE Filed Aug. 22, 1940 2 Sheefs-Sheet 1 Jag. 1.

[mill] EMU 22 I I 42 Q 7, b 2 F 24 4, l6 I 59- I 2K .58 I! 6 u .50 o l? 27 \gr 7/ 4452 53 j K5) 43 b I A AV/A INVENTOR ATTRNEY Aug. 10, 1943. B. L. OPSAL 2,326,556

DEVICE FOR SPOOLING REDA AND LIKE CABLE Filed Aug. 22, 1940 2 sheets-sheet 2 95 2i 52 g g 1.45

INYENTOR Patented Aug. 19, 1943 y earse STATES.

names For; 'srooLmd fauna ND LEKE CABLE This'inve nti on relates to'spooling devices, and more particularly to devices of that character wherein the power to drivethe same is derived from a source thatjisordinarily employed f other purpose, v 1

The principalobject of the present invention'.

is to provide a convenient, relatively economical and highly fiicient spooling device. i

A particularly useful application of the invention is in spooling Reda cable fromoil andlilre wells. Reda cable is known in the oil industry as a flexible, tough, electric current conducting cable that supplies an electric pump on the bottom of tubing in a 'well-with energy for its actuation; The pump, in turn, communicates the tubingwith iluidin the well and forces the fluid froma Well shot hole, for example, up the tubing to the earths surface for suitabledisposi tion; The Reda cable is ordinarily run intoand out of the well along with-the tubing exteriorly thereof and is suitably secured thereto, VTheri, therefore, the tubing is p ulledgthe Reda cable is usually removed from'the well simultaneously therewith. Due, largely, to the character of the cable, that is, the strength required of it, it is usually of such diameter and rigidi y as to be relatively unwieldy. It is desirable however, to 1 arrange the cable, when spooled, adjacent the v well and preferably near a derric k 'fio'or or gin-- pole support, where such apparatus for applymgandpulling tubing. H 7

Other objects of the invention are, therefore,

is employed t that is. suitably supported, for-example, ona

to provide for spooling cable a'nd thelike, such asR-eda cable, at ,or nea'r its scene of'inten'ded operations; to provide for spooling cable and the like with facility, in a relatively compact mass and in a condition in which it. is readily avail able for use; to provide an improved reel rotation adjusting mechanism wherein speeds of rotation thereof may be varied relative to speed of movement of tubing asit is beinglowered or raised into or out of a well; to provide a novel braking efiect for a reel;- to provide a powertake-oil peculiarly suitable fcr spooling 'devices employed in conjunction with and/cries" .an adjunct to tubing pulling apparatus; tgQcombine a cat-head'with a driven' sheave orthe' like for 1 prcviding' a drive from the cat-head; and to' provide improved elements together with arrange+ ments thereof in a'spooling device of acter andfor the purposes noted. In accomplishing these and other. the inventionl have provided improved. details of structure, the preferred form of which is illus the char:

trated inthe accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

Gate of Fig. a side elevational'view-o-f a spooling device embodying the features of the present invention,.the same being illustratively arranged near ahderrick and vderivinglits drive in the first 5 -instance from a tubing pulling ,unit,a portion a of the spooled element being shown in,.a well,{

the well being shown'in verticalFcross-section.

Fig. 2 is a plan View. of my improved spooling derdevice and a horizontal section through the rickillustrated in Fig. 1'.

Fig. 31s a detail perspective head forming a partxof this invention;

- Fig.4 isa vertical; substantially central cross I section through the. device illustrated in Fig. 3.

Referring-morein detail to the drawings:

1 -l designates aspoolingdevice embodying the features of the present-invention, whichspooling devicepreferably consists of a reel-2 that is rotatably mounted ou a suitable base 3, prefer-- ablyin,spaced'relationtoa derrick floor 4, as by' standards 5,: The reel? is preferably provided with suitable means 5 for supplying and transierringelectriccurrent betweenythe reel and a cable I that-is adapted tobe woundandfunwound ,relativeto the reel responsive,to rotaticn ofzthe I reel inopposite directions. v r .Th cable 7 maybe, and in the-presentinstance preferably is, a Reda cable that extends at one endfromthe reel 2. over 'a pulley block structuralmernber 9. of a derrick} 9,, preferably in vertically spaced relation to, the floor of the derrick. ..From theplllly block 8, the Redabable extends through an opening H. in the derrick floor intoIthe casing it that is arranged in a.well M over which thederrick is erected.

H The casing l3 is suitably supported on, a base 35 for the derrick, the casing being provided with V suitableapparatus, not shown, for supporting tubinglor the like is in the,casing.-. ,The' Reda f cab'le may be, and preferably is, securedtothe tubing exteriorly of the [tubing as 'by' suitable clamps ll, andfterrninates at'a motor 19 for drivinga'pulnp 29 to transfer fluidsin the well I4 through tubing l6 to thesurfacecf the earth for suitable disposition. i p. I I

When, for anyreason, fthe'tubing isjto be remcvedirom the well, as-for're'pairs or replacetubing from the'well. Such apparatus ordinarily 1 consists of an elevator 21"engaged-with-atravel-' 'ling block 22 as by a connecting device 23. The

tackle fcrthe travelling block 22 co m p'rise's a pull line 24 that passes over asuitable crown-block view of the power take-01T- and combination pulley block andcatment, suitable apparatus is provided tdpull the J assembly on the derrick, and preferably under a floor-block unit 26.

The floor-block unit 26 forms an important with aligned pairs of apertures adjacent their. upper and lower ends for receiving connecting devices 33 and 34. A spacer 35 is preferably mounted on the lower connecting device34, and

an anchoring member 36 is preferably mounted onthe upper connecting device33, the anchoring member preferably consisting of arms 31 and 33- having aligned apertures 39 and 40 for mounting a tie member 4|, Fig. 1, that is secured to the.

anchoring member at one end and to the derrick at its other end, as indicated at 42, for supporting the floor block. Thelower connecting device 34 is preferably provided wlth-a-tiemember that extends from the pulley block downwardly through an opening 44 in the: derrick floor into suitable supported engagement with the derrick 1 base 15. 1 V 1 a The side members oi the pulleybIock-are also provided withaligned bearing elements 45 and 4B for rotatably supporting a she-n41: A pulley,

end thereof, which cat-head may be secured to the shaftes by a key andslot connectionit.

The cat-head preferably consists of a drum having a-groove '52 for'receivl'ng a driving conneetion, such as a rope orthelik'e 53 thirteen-- nects the cat -hea d with a pulley 54 dnthereel- 2.

Theconnectlon between the cat-headand reel pulley isprefe-rably loose enoughto allow m slippage therebetween. In-order fto -provide a driving connection between the cat-head and reela, tensioning device 5511's applied to thedriving connection 53 of such a'chara'cter as toappl-y tension to the'connectlon, overcome the normal slip and rotate the reel in response to rotation of the cat-head.

1 The tensioning device .55 may, and in the present instancepreferably does, consist ofasnatcin block over which oneend of the driving connection 53. travels, The snatch-block is preferably mounted on the derrick floor, as"by .a'pin 55, a spring' 51 being preferably provided on thepln to normally tend to move the snatch block downwardly for relieving tensionon the driving connection, V a v 1 i In order to apply tension of desired strength to the driving connection, the snatch-block is provlded with a'hook or the like 58, vanda connecting clevice59 is secured to the hook and passes .over a pulley block fl! that may be secured to the derrick. The preferable arrangement of the connecting device 59 is to provide an end Bl thereof in exposed condition to allow it .to .be grasped and pulled upon to .overcomethe tension of the spring 5.! and thus applyadesiredamount of tension to the driving-connection .53 to run the reel 2 in desired relation to the cat-head. l

,The'operation of an apparatus constructed as describeidis as follows:

,Assuming a well'to be provided w h easing,

tubing and a derrick substantially as shown, and that the tubing is provided with Reda pump and cable; when the tubing is to be pulled a suitable elevator is applied to the tubing and operated by the pull line 24. The pull line runs under the floor-block 2l-and operates the cathead With the Reda cablepassing over the pulley block 8 and connected with the reel 2, the driving connection 53 may be applied to 7110112116 pulley 54 on the reel 2 and to the cat-head vlifion the blockll, preferably with a loose enough flt-to provide slippage. Tension may then be applied to the driving connection as and when desired 'by applying tension to the snatch-block 15*55 ews by drawing onthe snatch-block through the endlii of the connecting device 59 to overcome the slip. Then, as the pull line 24 moves toraise or lower the tubing relative to the well, the pulley of the block 21 is rotated, the cat- 20 head also rotating to, in turn, rotate the reel and spool or unspool the Reda cable relative to thereel. ,It is apparent, therefore, that a convenient, relatively "economical and highly eificientspool- 25 ing device having the 1 characteristics and adsecure by Letters 0 pulley, means connecting said cathead and reel for driving. saidreel'in response-to movement of said pulling line,,and means for-effecting releaseoi said connecting means whereby said pull- ,ing line. may be actuated independently of the reel. 7 A 7 7 .1

-2. In an apparatus or thecharacter described comprising a derrick arranged; over a well having tubing therein anda cable. engaged with said tubing exteriorly thereof, a pulling, line engage able with saidltubing {or removing the same from the well, means for actuating said pulling line,',a reel for said cable, a pulley block haying a pulleylengaged with said pulling. line and rotatable in response to movement thereof, said pulley block having a. cathead connected to said pulley, means connecting said cathead and reel for driving said reel in response to movement ofsaid pulling line, a snatch-block irictionall-y eng'ageab'le withfsaid connecting means, and means for moving said snatch bloektoward and away from said connecting means to adjustsaid connecting means for varying the drive of said pulling line relative to said reel.

.3. I arr-apparatus of the character described comprising a derrick arranged over a well having tubing therein and.,a cable engaged with said tubing exteriorly thereof, a pulling line engageable with saidtubing for removing the same from the well, means for actuating said pullin'gline, a reelff-or saidicable, a pulley block having a pulley engaged withsaid pulling line and rotatable inresponse to movement thereof, said pulley block having acat-head connected to said pulley, "means loosely connecting said cathead and reel, means engageable withsaid vantages above set forth has been provided by connecting means to tighten the same relative to said cathead and reel for'driving said reel in response to movement of said pulling line,

and means acting on "said tightening means normally tending to loosen said connecting means for causing slip between said reel and line.

- 4. In an apparatus of the character described, I a cable, means for spooling said'cable, a pulley head, means engageable with said connecting means to tighten samerelative to' said cathead and spooling means for spooling said cabie in responseto actuation of the pulley of said pulley block, said last named means including an adjustable snatch-block, and resilient means acting on said snatch block for normally tending to loosen said connecting means for causing slip in the connection between said spooling means and the cathead.

5. In an apparatus of the character described comprising a derrick arranged over a Well having tubing therein and a cable engaged with said tubing exteriorly thereof, a pulling line engageable with said tubing for removing the same from the Well, means for actuating said pulling 'line, a reel for said cable, a pulley block hav-j ing a pulley engaged with said pulling line and rotatable in response to movement thereof, said pulley block having a cathead connected to said pulley, means for selectively connecting said cathead and reel for drivingsaid reelin response to movement of said pulling line, and means for supplying and transferring electric current between said reel and cable.

6. In apparatus of the character described,

an operating mechanism, a cable engaged with said'mechanism, a pulling line engageablewith said mechanismfor moving same, means for actuating said pulling line, a reel for said cable, a pulley engaged with said pulling line and rotatable in response to movement thereof, said pulley having a cathead connected thereto, means loosely connecting said cathead and reel, a snatch-block having a pulley engageable with said connecting means to tighten the same relative to said cathead and reel for frictionally driving said reel in response to movement of said pulling line, and a spring acting on said snatch-block normally tending to loosen said connecting means for causing slip between said reel and cathead. I

BORGER L; OPSAL. 

